Can opener

ABSTRACT

A manually operable can opener for opening a can top when forced thereinto including a plurality of cutting blades radiating from a cutter center line or axis extending through a piercing point and a plurality of deflector rings of progressively increasing size spaced along such axis and successively operable to increase the size of a starting hole formed in the can top by the piercing point.

United States Patent 1191 Hill, Jr.

[ CAN OPENER [76] Inventor: Telford C. Hill, Jr., 1216 E. Quaker Rd., E. Aurora, N.Y. 14052 [22] Filed: Dec. 7, 1972 [21] Appl. N0.: 313,120

[52] US. Cl 30/6.l, 30/16, 30/303, 30/315 [51] Int. Cl B65b 7/24, B26b 27/00 [58] Field of Search 30/4 A, 5.5, 6.1, 6.5, 16, 30/303, 315, 359, 366

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 384,973 6/1888 Hawes 30/35 x 2,002,610 5/1935 Nall 30/6.l x

14 1 Feb. 26, 1974 2,832,134 4/1958 Lukan 30/16 Primary Examiner-Othell M. Simpson Assistant Examiner-Gary L. Smith Attorney, Agent, or FirmBean & Bean [5 7] ABSTRACT A manually operable can opener for opening a can top when forced thereinto including a plurality of cutting blades radiating from a cutter center line or axis extending through a piercing point and a plurality of deflector rings of progressively increasing size spaced along such axis and successively operable to increase the size of a starting hole formed in the can top by the piercing point.

12 Claims, 5 DrawingFigures CAN OPENER Can openers of the type having a plurality of cutting blades radiating from a piercing point and adapted to be forced into the top of the can in order to sever the latter into pie or wedge shaped segments are well knwon in the art as evidenced for example by U.S. Pat. Nos. 384,973; 564,489; 755,789; 2,002,610; 2,029,334 and 2,832,134. Moreover, several of these patents, including U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,002,610; 2,029,334 and 2,832,134 additionally suggest the utilization of various types of means to deflect cut segments downwardly into the can in order to enlarge the opening formed by the blades and thus reduce interference with flow of product from the can. However, insofar as I am aware, prior art devices of this general type have been fabricated primarily for use with only a given size of can, such as the standard quart oil can, and thus have not won acceptance in the home where a number of different sizes of cans are in daily use.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to can openers of the type adapted to be forced to the top of the can in order to cut the top into pie or wedge shaped segments, and more particularly to can openers of this general type which may be conveniently used in the home with a plurality of can sizes.

Two forms of the present invention will be disclosed in detail. In a first form of the can opener, which may be readily disassembled for cleaning purposes, a cage" comprising a plurality of cutting blades and ring deflectors, is releasably clamped between a can top piercing point and a clamping plate by threading a handle device downwardly onto a piercing point carried rod into engagement with the plate. In this form of the invention, the piercing point is an essentially cone shaped body having its conical wall fluted to define initial cutting ribs aligned one with each of the blades. The piercing point serves to form a starting hole in the can top and in doing so initiates the forming and downward deforming of the pie shaped segments into which the can top is to be subsequently cut by the blades. The blades serve to enlarge the cuts initiated by the cutting ribs in a stepwise manner, such as to produce successive enlargements of the pie-shaped segments, whereas the rings serve to downwardly deform each enlargement before the next enlargement is formed. By this arrangement deformation of the can top does not interfere with the cutting operation.

In a second form of the present invention, the parts of the can opener are permanently interconnected to realize economy of manufacture, and the lower ends of the several blades cooperate to replace the piercing point.

DRAWINGS The nature and mode of the present invention will now be more fully described in the following detailed description taken with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred form of the can opener of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken generally along line 3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view 'of a can illustrating the manner in which it is opened by use of the can opener of the present invention; and

FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but showing an alternative construction.

DETAILEDIDESCRIPTION Reference is now made particularly to FIGS. l 3, wherein a preferred form of the present can opener is generally designated as 10. Opener 10 comprises a piercing point in the form of an essentially conically shaped body 12 having a downwardly directed apex; a threaded bolt or shaft 14 suitably fixed to extend upwardly from a rear or upper surface of body 12; a cage like device 16, which is defined by a plurality of annularly spaced blades 18 and vertically spaced ring de-- former elements or members 20; a clamping plate 22, which is apertured at 24 to freely receive the upper end of rod 14 and formed with an annular downwardly opening recess 26 arranged concentrically outwardly of aperture 24; and a handle or pusher device 28, which is adapted to be threaded downwardly on rod 14 into engagement with the upper surface of plate 22 for the purpose of releasably clamping cage device 16 between the plate and body 12.

Body 12 is best shown in FIG. 2 as having its conical surface fluted to define a plurality of initial cutting-ribs 30, which are arranged in alignment one with each of the cutting blades and in FIG. 3 as having its rear or upper surface formed with a plurality of annularly spaced slots 32, which radiate from the center line of the opener, which is coincident with the axis of rod 14. As will be apparent from viewing FIG. 3, slots 32 and annular recess 26 are adapted to removably receive the lower and upper ends 34 and 36, respectively, of blades 18, whereby to retain cage device -16 disposed concentrically of the axis of rod 14; slots 32 additionally serving to prevent rotation of the cage device about rod 14 as handle 28 is threaded downwardly thereonto.

Blades 18 are best shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 as having their radially outwardly facing edges stepped to define a plurality of cutting edges 38, which diverge upwardly and outwardly relative to the axis of rod 14, and a plurality of non-cutting or spacer edges 40, which are disposed essentially parallel to such axis and serve to join upper and lower ends of adjacent cutting edges. Cutting and non-cutting edges of the several blades can be considered as being arranged in alternate tiers of like edges. In order to minimize the effective volume of opener 10 with a view towards preventing displacement of product from a, can being opened, the radially inwardly facing edges of the several blades are upwardly and outwardly inclined and spaced from their asso ciated outwardly facing edges by only that'amount necessary to provide sufficient strength to prevent deformation of the cutting blades during use.

Rings 20 are received one within each of a plurality of slots 42, which open radially outwardly through edges 40 in a slightly spaced relationship above the juncture of such edges with their lower immediately adjacent cutting edges 38, and are differently sized such that their outer peripheral edge surfaces are disposed essentially flush one with each of the non-cutting edges. The peripheral edges of rings 20 are preferably rounded off or inclined downwardly and inwardly 3 towards body 12 in order to facilitate deformation of a can top as the opener is forced downwardly thereinto in the manner to be described.

In a preferred construction, rings are permanently retained within slots 42, as by welding, to provide a permanently assembled cage device. However, if desired, the rings may be snap or otherwise removably fitted into the slots to facilitate disassembly of the cage device and cleaning of its parts without adversely effecting its strength, since the lower and upper ends of the cage device are clampingly positioned between body 12 and plate 22 when the opener is assembled.

For purposes of illustration, the opener of the present invention is shown as being specifically dimensioned to open four sizes of cans commonly found in the average kitchen, that is for instance, No. l, 2, 2% and 3 cans. To this end, cutting blades 18 are formed with four tiers each of cutting and non-cutting edges, wherein the outer diameter of each ring corresponds essentially to the inner diameter of one of such cans diminished by an amount at least approximately twice the maximum thickness of material normally employed in forming the top of such can. For this range of can sizes, I have found that eight cutting blades provides for maximum opening efficiency.

By referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, it will be understood that to perform a can opening operation, an operator merely grips handle 28 and then forces the opener with body apex first downwardly into the center of the top 44 of a can 46 to be opened. Penetration of can top 44 by body 12 serves to form a starting hole designated as 48 in FIG. 4, and in doing so initiates the forming and downward deforming of eight pie shaped segments 44a into which can top 44 is to be subsequently cut by the blades. As will be apparent, initiation of the cutting of the can top into the pie shaped segments is effected by initial cutting ribs the deflection of the pointed ends of such segments being effected by the engagement thereof with the concave surfaces of the body between adjacent initial cutting ribs. As will be apparent from viewing FIG. 4, blades 18 serve to enlarge or lengthen the cuts initiated by the initial cutting ribs along radial lines designated as 18' in a stepwise manner such as to produce successive enlargements of the pie shaped segments identified as 44b, 44c, 44d and 44e in the case of the can top of the maximum size of can for which the present opener is designed. The rings serve to downwardly deform each enlargement before the next enlargement is formed. By this arrangement, deformation of the can top does not interfere with the cutting operation.

FIG. 3 specifically illustrates a can opener of the present invention employed with a minimum sized can and shows the relative positioning of the opener relative to the can at the completion of the cutting operation resulting in the formation of only one series of enlargement 44b of the initially formed pie shaped segments 44a. As will be seen, the sizing of the parts is such that the first tier of cutting edges serves to sever the can top to points immediately adjacent its periphery and after this cutting operation is performed, the deforming ring associated with the first tier of noncutting edges serves to deform each of segment enlargements 44b downwardly into a position in which it lies very closely adjacent the cylindrical inner wall of the can. It will be noted that the deformed segment enlargements tend to be inwardly concave, due to the fact that they are engaged by the outwardly convex peripheral edge surfaces of the ring between the blades. Further penetration of the opener is arrested by engagement of the next tier of cutting edges with the rim of the can. Of course when the opener is employed with the maximum size of can for which it is designed, rim 22 of plate 22, which extends radially outwardly of the uppermost tier of non-cutting edges, will abut against the rim of such can to define the limit of operner penetration.

While the present can opener has been described as being constructed and dimensioned for use with four specific can sizes, it will be understood that the opener may also be employed to open intermediate can sizes. In such cases, the only differences in performance will be that the severed segments of the can top when deformed by the last effective ring will not lie in full surface engagement with the inner wall of the can.

FIG. 5 illustrates a modified construction of the present can opener 10 wherein its piercing point is defined by the juncture of weld joined lower ends 34 of blades 18 and an initial deflector ring 20'. In this construction, first or lower continuous cutting edges 38' functionally replace both the initial cutting ribs 30.of body 12 and the first tier of cutting edges 38; ring 20' functionally replaces the surfaces of body 12 between adjacent initial cutting ribs; and a one piece handle device 50 is permanently affixed to the upper ends of blades 18, as by welding.

Although opener 10 can not be disassembled, it is still easy to clean. Further, it has the advantage of having less total volume than opener 10, due to the absence of body 12 and rod 14.

I claim:

1. In a can opener having a plurality of cutting blades extending upwardly and radially outwardly from a lower can top piercing point and deflector means, said piercing point being adapted to produce a starting hole in said can top, said blades being adapted to produce cuts radiating from said starting hole to define severed pie-shaped segments of said can top, and said deflector means being adapted to deflect said segments downwardly into said can, the improvement wherein:

each of said blades is formed with alternately arranged cutting and non-cutting edges, said blades having said edges thereof arranged in alternating tiers of cutting and non-cutting edges, the cutting edges of each said tier diverging outwardly from a center line of said can opener extending through said piercing point in a direction upwardly from said piercing point, said non-cutting edges connecting upper ends of cutting edges of an adjacent lower tier with lower ends of cutting edges of an ad jacent upper tier, whereby successive tiers of cutting edges are adapted to produce excessive enlargements of said pie-shaped segments; and

said deflector means includes a plurality of deflector means spaced one from another in a direction upwardly from said piercing point and associated one with each of said tiers of non-cutting edges, whereby to deflect an enlargment after production thereof by a preceding lower tier of cutting edges and prior to the formation of a succeeding enlargement by a succeeding upper tier of cutting edges.

2. An improvement according to claim 1, wherein said deflector means are rings disposed concentrically of said center line.

3. An improvement according to claim 2, wherein said rings are supported by said cutting blades, said rings having outer peripheral surfaces thereof arranged essentially flush with said non-cutting edges of the tiers with which they are associated.

4. An improvement according to claim 3, wherein the outer diameter of each of said rings correspond substantially to the internal diameter of a given conventionally sized can diminished by an amount corresponding to essentially twice the thickness of the top of such can.

5. An improvement according to claim 1, wherein said piercing point is formed by an essentially conically shaped body having a downwardly directed apex, said body having the essentially conically shaped surface thereof fluted to define a plurality of initial cutting ribs aligned one with each of said cutting blades.

6. An improvement according to claim 1, wherein said piercing point is formed by an essentially conically shaped body having'a downwardly directed apex; and means are provided for releasably clamping lower ends of said cutting blades in engagement with an upper surface of said body, said clamping means including a rod fixed to said body and extending upwardly from said upper surface thereof, saidrod having a threaded upper end portion, a clamping plate apertured to freely permit passage of said upper end portion of said rod therethrough and sized to extend radially of said rod for engagement with upper ends of said cutting blades, and a handle device removably threaded downwardly on said upper end portion of said rod into engagement with said clamping plate whereby to clamp said cutting blades intermediate said body and said clamping plate.

7. An improvement according to claim 6, wherein said upper surface of said body is formed with annularly spaced radially extending slots dimensioned to receive said lower ends of said cutting blades and said clamping plate is formed with a downwardly opening annular slot adapted to receive said upper ends of said cutting blades.

8. An improvement according to claim 7, wherein an uppermost of said tiers is a tier of non-cutting edges, and said clamping plate extends radially outwardly of said uppermost tier.

9. An improvement according to claim 7, wherein said deflector means include a plurality of rings disposed concentrically of said rod, each of said rings being fixed to each of said cutting blades.

10. An improvement according to claim 9, wherein an essentially conically shaped surface of said body is fluted to define initial cutting ribs aligned one with each of said cutting blades.

11. An improvement according to claim 1, wherein said piercing point is defined by the juncture of lower ends of said cutting blades and an initial deflector means, and said lower ends of said cutting blades defining a tier of initial cutting edges and cooperating with said initial deflector means to produce said starting hole.

12. An improvement according to claim 1 1, wherein radially inwardly facing edges of said cutting blades diverge outwardly from said center line in a direction upwardly from said piercing point and have upward ends thereof permanently interconnected by a handle device, and said deflector means are rings disposed concentrically of said center line and fixed to said cutting blades, said rings having outer peripheral surfaces thereof arranged essentially flush with said non-cutting edges of tiers with which they are associated and having inner peripheral surfaces thereof disposed outwardly of said inwardly facing edges of said cutting blades. 

1. In a can opener having a plurality of cutting blades extending upwardly and radially outwardly from a lower can top piercing point and deflector means, said piercing point being adapted to produce a starting hole in said can top, said blades being adapted to produce cuts radiating from said starting hole to define severed pie-shaped segments of said can top, and said deflector means being adapted to deflect said segments downwardly into said can, the improvement wherein: each of said blades is formed with alternately arranged cutting and non-cutting edges, said blades having said edges thereof arranged in alternating tiers of cutting and non-cutting edges, the cutting edges of each said tier diverging outwardly from a center line of said can opener extending through said piercing point in a direction upwardly from said piercing point, said non-cutting edges connecting upper ends of cutting edges of an adjacent lower tier with lower ends of cutting edges of an adjacent upper tier, whereby successive tiers of cutting edges are adapted to produce excessive enlargements of said pieshaped segments; and said deflector means includes a plurality of deflector means spaced one from another in a direction upwardly from said piercing point and associated one with each of said tiers of non-cutting edges, whereby to deflect an enlargment after production thereof by a preceding lower tier of cutting edges and prior to the formation of a succeeding enlargement by a succeeding upper tier of cutting edges.
 2. An improvement according to claim 1, wherein said deflector means are rings disposed concentrically of said center line.
 3. An improvement according to claim 2, wherein said rings are supported by said cutting blades, said rings having outer peripheral surfaces thereof arranged essentially flush with said non-cutting edges of the tiers with which they are associated.
 4. An improvement according to claim 3, wherein the outer diameter of each of said rings correspond substantially to the internal diameter of a given conventionally sized can diminished by an amount corresponding to essentially twice the thickness of the top of such can.
 5. An improvement according to claim 1, wherein said piercing point is formed by an essentially conically shaped body having a downwardly directed apex, said body having the essentially conically shaped surface thereof fluted to define a plurality of initial cutting ribs aligned one with each of said cutting blades.
 6. An improvement according to claim 1, wherein said piercing point is formed by an essentially conically shaped body having a downwardly directed apex; and means are provided for releasably clamping lower ends of said cutting blades in engagement with an upper surface of said body, said clamping means including a rod fixed to said body and extending upwardly from said upper surface thereof, said rod having a threaded upper end portion, a clamping plate apertured to freely permit passage of said upper end portion of said rod therethrough and sized to extend radially of said rod for engagement with upper ends of said cutting blades, and a handle device removably threaded downwardly on said upper end portion of said rod into engagement with said clamping plate whereby to clamp said cutting blades intermediate said body and said clamping plaTe.
 7. An improvement according to claim 6, wherein said upper surface of said body is formed with annularly spaced radially extending slots dimensioned to receive said lower ends of said cutting blades and said clamping plate is formed with a downwardly opening annular slot adapted to receive said upper ends of said cutting blades.
 8. An improvement according to claim 7, wherein an uppermost of said tiers is a tier of non-cutting edges, and said clamping plate extends radially outwardly of said uppermost tier.
 9. An improvement according to claim 7, wherein said deflector means include a plurality of rings disposed concentrically of said rod, each of said rings being fixed to each of said cutting blades.
 10. An improvement according to claim 9, wherein an essentially conically shaped surface of said body is fluted to define initial cutting ribs aligned one with each of said cutting blades.
 11. An improvement according to claim 1, wherein said piercing point is defined by the juncture of lower ends of said cutting blades and an initial deflector means, and said lower ends of said cutting blades defining a tier of initial cutting edges and cooperating with said initial deflector means to produce said starting hole.
 12. An improvement according to claim 11, wherein radially inwardly facing edges of said cutting blades diverge outwardly from said center line in a direction upwardly from said piercing point and have upward ends thereof permanently interconnected by a handle device, and said deflector means are rings disposed concentrically of said center line and fixed to said cutting blades, said rings having outer peripheral surfaces thereof arranged essentially flush with said non-cutting edges of tiers with which they are associated and having inner peripheral surfaces thereof disposed outwardly of said inwardly facing edges of said cutting blades. 